Arthritis - Rheumatoid, Osteo and Gout
QUESTION – What are the differences between the three types of Arthritis?
To be specific there are nearly 200 different forms of arthritis but the most common that we suffer from particularly as we get older are Rheumatoid, Osteo and gout.
First let’s talk about the most common of the arthritis conditions.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is an auto immune disease in which the joints, usually those of the hands and feet are inflamed. (Arthritis comes from the Greek word ‘arthron’ which means joints)
This results in swelling, pain and often the eventual destruction of the joints interior. I am sure most of you have heard of James Coburn the actor. It was obvious, as he appeared in films as he got older that he was suffering from the disease. Hs hands became very deformed and he suffered from the problem in most of the joints in his body. In fact in his case it was hereditary as his father suffered from the same condition.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is the most common inflammatory disease and is suffered world-wide and affects approximately 1% of adults. It is usually accompanied by extreme fatigue, weight loss and in a lot of cases depression. People can suffer from it in a mild form for many years and never reach the crippling stage that someone like James Coburn showed but millions do have to put up with symptoms that can be anything to discomfort to extreme and constant pain.
This is where are normally healthy immune system seems to go into overdrive. For some reason it attacks the tissue that lines and cushions the joints (the technical term for this tissue is glycosaminoglycans and I will come back to that when we talk about one of the main alternative therapies for the condition)
QUESTION – What are the main causes of Rheumatoid Arthritis – Is it always hereditary?
It is not always hereditary. About three times as many women suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis as men and whilst there is a school of thought that considers that there maybe a link to food intolerances my experience has been that there is a link between Candida Albicans and this form of arthritis. We have talked about some of the triggers for Candida. Apart from antibiotics that obviously both men and women take, there are other drugs and hormonal changes that only a woman would be exposed to. Last week I said that HRT and the Pill were being linked to the onset of Candida. If you look at a woman’s reproductive cycle and say that she starts her periods at 12 – goes on the pill for a few years until she is ready to have children – has 4 babies in 10 years and then at age 50 goes on HRT for 10 years then you will see that hormonally she has been very active. To my mind this may be one of the reasons why women are more prone to Rheumatoid Arthritis.
This is an auto immune disease where the immune system has lost its ability to tell the difference between friend and enemy hence it is attacking healthy cells in the body. These cells are the carbohydrate molecules in the tissue in the joints. If the patient already has a Candida overgrowth the immune system will be working overtime to protect the body from this parasitic invasion. It makes sense to me that any cells that might resemble this parasite in any form might also get included in the immune systems clean up operation. This of course is only my opinion but I know that there has been a marked improvement in some of my clients’ arthritis symptoms when they have been treated for Candida.
Another area that is not proven but I have seen some examples of are where people living outside of their genetic environment and eating a very different diet to their ancestral one, are suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and show improvement when they revert back to their ancestral diet. For example I worked with two South American clients who had moved to Ireland in their 20’s. Apart from all the wet weather, which certainly effected my own condition, both of them developed arthritis. One of the sisters became so bad that she was on steroids and could barely walk down the road. I worked with her and established what sort of diet she would have had if she had been still living in her own country.
After reverting back to the food that she ate until she reached the age of 24,in six weeks she was able to walk and eventually come off her medication. With the agreement of course of her doctor. You have to remember that if you live in a particular environment and your ancestry is based in the environment for thousands of years your body will have adapted to a certain dietary and nutrient requirement based on what is available. If you were to take an Eskimo from his environment 20 years ago before fast food reached his home, and introduced him to a western diet he would have become malnourished and probably ill. His system would have been used to processing fat for most of his requirements – no sugar – no vegetables or fruit but he would have been supremely healthy. Give him what we consider to be a healthy diet and he would fall ill. So environment – Changes in diet and stress could cause problems such as arthritis.
QUESTION – What are the symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis?
You might start to notice some stiffness in your finger and toe joints – perhaps just in one. I have a nodule in just one toe. When I got my Candida under control – the symptoms that had started a few months before disappeared but I was left with this one affected joint. You will find that it is a symmetrical disease that effects the same joint on either side of the body. You might suddenly notice some small lumps under the skin, particularly around the elbow area which can be quite fleshy – you might also feel very tired – have skin rashes and internally some breathing problems as tissue internally becomes effected. This is the danger if the condition is not corrected, as we tend to see the external joint disfiguration but not the internal damage to things like our lungs and heart.
QUESTION – What about Osteo-Arthritis?
Osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease, is one of the oldest types of arthritis. It is basically wear and tear. It is the breakdown of the joint’s cartilage. Cartilage is the cushion in the joint that prevents the two ends of the bones from rubbing together. When this pad of cushioning is worn away and the fluid that normally lubricates the joint has gone – the two ends grind together causing pain and inflammation. The actual physical process is an increase in water content of the cartilage and a reduction of protein in the tissue as we age. It mainly effects the weight bearing joints such as the ankles, lower back, knees and hips but can also effect the hands. Those most likely to suffer from the condition are middle aged or elderly. In some cases however is a younger person has had a very physically demanding lifestyle the symptoms can set in earlier.
QUESTION – What are the most common causes of this type of Arthritis?
This can be affected by being overweight most of your life as I was – leading a particularly energetic sporting life – football, rugby or athletics. It is most common as we get into our 40’s and 50’s when a lifetime of activity can catch up with us. People you have suffered accidents in the past with broken bones may find that the damage is worsened as they get older.
There is some thought that there is a genetic pre-disposition to Osteo arthritis particularly when it develops in the hands. It could be caused by defective cartilage or defects in the way the bones join together.
QUESTION – What are some of the symptoms of Osteo-Arthritis?
It is purely a disease of the joints. Unlike rheumatoid arthritis it does not affect the organs of the body. The most common symptom is pain in the joint particularly after a lot of activity. It is usually worse later in the day obviously. Also you may find that your back and hips and knees are painful after sitting for long periods of time and that getting up in the morning is painful and takes some time for you to regain mobility. Some of the joints will swell. My knee will swell to twice its normal size in a matter of hours if I have twisted or jolted it in some way. It is not uncommon for the symptoms to come and go depending on a number of factors. Weight – heat – activity levels.
QUESTION – What happens if the condition is not treated.
Some patients opt for replacement joints in which case they are usually fine for about 15 years. My mother has had a replacement hip now for 15 years and at 87 is still absolutely fine
The problem is that the friction between the bone ends causes mobility problems which often leads to more weight gain which is one of the leading causes of the condition in the first place
Also inflammation of the cartilage can sometimes stimulate new bone outgrowths called spurs around the joint, which cause even more discomfort and lack of mobility.
The bottom line is that it is a very painful condition and most sufferers are forced into taking very strong painkillers such as cortisone.
QUESTION – What is Gout?
Gout which contrary to popular believe does not just affect old men who drink too much port. The actual condition is caused by crystals of uric acid depositing themselves into the tissues of the body. When the condition is chronic hard lumps of uric acid are deposited in and around the joints – these lumps can also lodge in the kidneys leading to decreased kidney function and kidney stones.
It can be hereditary – an inherited abnormality in the bodies ability to process uric acid. We all produce Uric acid, which is a by-product of purines, which are present in most of the foods that we eat.
QUESTION – Which part of the body does Gout normally effect?
The kidney problems are separate – it becomes gout when one of the joints is affected. It is usually in the foot and particularly the big toe. But other joints can be affected too. Unlike the other forms of arthritis that we have talked about today – this is a more sudden onset of the problem and is usually linked to immediate causes rather than a systemic problem. The reason the joint at the base of the big toe is most affected is that as the uric acid crystals are carried through the system they collect at the lowest point of the body – i.e. the big toe. Some people will also suffer a fever with the outbreak and the attack can last anything from a few hours to weeks or months. It is recurring depending on how acute the condition and largely down to your lifestyle.
|
